[4] Sardasht, far from the frontline, was notably attacked with chemical weapons by Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein during the Iran–Iraq War.

[10] The gas attacks occurred during the Iran–Iraq War, when Iraq frequently used chemical weapons against Iranian civilians and soldiers.

[11] Because Sardasht was not considered a military target, the population was both unprotected and unprepared for a chemical weapons assault.

Living close to the border and to the war front, citizens had become accustomed to Iraqi bombardment with conventional weapons.

Due to the direction of the wind, even the hospital and the convalescent center were contaminated, and the few doctors and nurses who were working there had to leave.

Two public baths were used for decontamination of the victims and a small stadium was converted to a 150-bed medical facility.

[12] Casualties up until 2007: altogether 130 people (109 civilians, 21 military and other) have died from the sulfur mustard attack on Sardasht in June 1987.

[15][16] Sardasht and its surrounding areas became a scene of sporadic clashes between Iranian IRGC forces and the militant Kurdish PJAK organization.